The Biggest Challenges Leaders are Facing in 2022 

Now that COVID is no longer the threat it was and the possibility of lockdowns are (hopefully) in the dim and distant past, the biggest challenges leaders are facing in 2022 are different to the past 12 months.

In order to help cope with the ‘return to normal,’ US consulting firm Deloitte, advises business leaders to take five main actions where employees are concerned; Reflect, Recommit, Re-engage, Rethink and Reboot.

What they mean is:

reflect on what has been learned during the pandemic ie that employees really can work efficiently from home much of the time and many of them are happier for it.

recommit to your team’s well being, psychologically, physically and financially.

re-engage with the workforce and get them on board with business priorities through purposeful work.

rethink what a workplace should look like. Flexible working in different locations is possible thanks to IT, after all.

reboot the workforce to concentrate on today’s business priorities.

Meanwhile, in terms of more specific issues, here are 5 of the biggest challenges leaders are facing in 2022 right here, some of which would prove challenging with or without a pandemic having taken place.

5 of the biggest challenges leaders are facing in 2022

1. Navigating workers needs

Whether to have your team continue to work from home (wfh) most of the time, encourage them back into the office or allow them to work some sort of hybrid model, is a task that leaders really have to get to grips with. Not offering hybrid working could mean losing key talent and show an unwillingness to accommodate an employee’s needs or have a flexible and ‘modern’ attitude in general. Recruiting and retaining key talent in an organisation is a huge challenge facing leaders today.

2. Protecting mental health

For many workers psychological health was as big as their physical well-being over the past two years. Depression, anxiety, stress, loneliness, insomnia – all were features of the pandemic. This is why, now we’re returning to ‘normal’ levels of output and practices, leaders need to take special care to prevent burnout in the workplace. As a safeguard, wellness programmes for employees is the type of perk employers should certainly be considering right now.

3. Coping with supply chain difficulties

The pandemic was bad enough for slowing manufacturing output. Brexit didn’t help with its increased paperwork at borders, and now the war in Ukraine is also resulting in supply chain issues for thousands of companies. Is it time to consider diversifying your company’s supply base?

4. Keeping on top of your team’s output and communication

When employees work from home it’s not as easy for managers to keep up with what they’re doing. This can lead to performance bias for those who return to the office, meaning wfh colleagues may be more likely to miss out on promotions. Then again, some colleagues find it difficult to remain productive when out of the office, with too many distractions to keep them away from work.

Effective and authentic communication is key to keep on top of you team’s output. Explore 10 ways leaders can communicate more effectively in 2023

It’s a leader’s role to engage in dialogue, explore and co-create what is best for individuals and teams.

5. Considering diversity and equality issues

Workplace inequality is increasingly being brought to the forefront – whether that is in terms of the gender pay gap, racial inequality or transgender rights. Your company culture is important and it can, of course, mean the difference between keeping or losing good people.

Workers who are valued tend to remain loyal. Then there is the issue of how you are viewed as a company by customers.

What challenges are you facing and how are you addressing these?